Don't Stop Now
by shadowfaxangel
Summary: 'Follow you close, four steps behind - part of me knew you were not mine.' Tyler and Caroline's breakup in 4x6 felt so real, but was it really? A Klaroline two-shot.
1. I Need This To Hurt

Author's Note:

Thank you for taking the time to check out my first venture into the world of writing Klaus and Caroline.

This story is set during 4x6 after the breakup scene at Tyler's house, but for the purpose of this two-shot the subsequent hunter's curse/Klaus deception/Elena rescuing and losing doesn't happen. The first two parts are snapshots from actual scenes in the show to help set the beginning of this story.

The title of this fic comes from the Emmy Rossum song that inspired it. I highly recommend that you listen to 'Don't Stop Now' while reading this fic, it was on repeat while I wrote it. This is the first story that I've had in my head that was so insistent that it pulled me from bed and kept me up writing in my walk-in closet till the wee hours of the morning. I'm so glad to finally share this with all of you!

I have to thank my amazing friend 2serendipity for her incredible beta work and all around awesome-ness. Though 9 hours and a lot of water separate us, you have truly become a very close friend, and I'm so thankful that we met! I know that this is a Klaroline fic, but if you like Delena (and even if you don't), you should hop over and check out her magical stories. They are utterly captivating. Promise. ;)

I'd also like to give a shout out to the wonderful OKBooey31 for her consistent encouragement for me to write Klaroline. Her brilliant Klaroline fics went a long way with helping me get a better feel for writing these characters properly, and she's just an all-around great person who I'm lucky to call my friend.

Well, that's enough rambling from me. I hope you enjoy the first part of this story. I'd love to hear what you think!

* * *

"_I apologize, am I intruding?" Caroline scoffed as she walked into the room._

"_Caroline. It's not like that," Tyler began._

_Caroline scoffed, "I keep waiting for you to make up some dumb story so at least I can call you a liar. Is that now?"_

"_I'll let you two talk," Hayley said softly, turning to walk out of the room._

"_Thank you, how big of you," Caroline retorted, her voice dripping with equal measures of venom and sarcasm._

"_You have to understand," Tyler began once Hayley had left the room._

"_No! You don't tell me what I have to do," Caroline interrupted angrily. "I went through hell when I thought you died. I cried like an idiot, and this whole time you've been keeping a secret from me about falling for some werewolf in the Appalachians!"_

"_I never fell for her!" Tyler insisted._

"_Please," Caroline sneered._

"_Caroline, she saved my life," he explained. "I almost died trying to break the sire bond. Hayley was there for me, she helped me get through it, but nothing else happened!"_

"_Then why would Klaus think that?" she threw back at him._

"_Because I'd rather him think that then know the truth," Tyler paused as he realized he finally had her attention. "There are other hybrids that need to be set free. Hayley and I can help them. But if Klaus found out about what we're trying to do, he'd kill us all."  
_

* * *

"_I brought your stuff," Caroline snapped as soon as he opened the door, a cardboard box held before her. "Old laptop, your jersey… the charm bracelet."_

"_Care, this isn't a good time," Tyler sighed._

"_Just take it," she said, shoving the box into his hands._

"_Caroline," Klaus greeted as he came into view, a solemn look on his face. "By the break-up drama unfolding before me, I assume you've met Hayley." He paused, looking at her for a moment before turning to his hybrids lounging in the adjacent room. "Alright, come on, let's go. Let's leave them alone. Your talents are needed elsewhere," he commanded._

"_For what?" Tyler asked._

"_I think you've got more important things to deal with, mate," Klaus glared at him as he followed his hybrids out the front door._

"_Do you think he bought it?" Caroline asked softly, a small grin creeping across her face after she shut the door and was sure Klaus was out of hearing range._

"_Hell, I bought it," Hayley replied with a devilish grin._

"_Thanks for the heads up that he was here, Hayley," Caroline smiled sincerely._

_Tyler shook his head. "You girls are good liars..."  
_

* * *

Caroline's fingers flew across the keys of her phone as she typed a brief message, pausing as she hovered over the send key, uncertainty warring within her mind before she finally pressed the button, sending the text on its virtual journey. She re-read the message for what felt like the hundredth time before setting her phone on her desk and picking up the sleek, black framed photo from the 20's decade dance, a faint smile ghosting across her features as she remembered her elation at Tyler's return that night. Life had seemed so much simpler then, even with all of the complications arising from Tyler's efforts to break the sire bond to Klaus.

"What is it?" Tyler's gruff voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts, causing Caroline to jump and nearly drop the picture.

"Oh my gosh, Tyler, you scared me!" she said breathlessly, setting the frame back down on her desk.

"You texted me, remember?" he responded, a slight look of confusion on his face. "Said you needed to see me right away, that we needed to talk?"

"Well, of course I remember!" Caroline snapped in response to his distant tone. "I just didn't expect you to get here so fast...or to come in through my window."

"I was nearby," Tyler shrugged, "We're supposed to be broken up, Caroline, not having a late night rendezvous. I figured the window would be a safer bet for not being seen. What's so urgent that you had to risk blowing our cover?"

"Pretending," Caroline said flatly.

"What?" Tyler's frowned in confusion.

"Pretending to be broken up," she explained, "It's just pretend, right?"

Tyler sighed, "Of course it is! That's what I meant, you know that. I'm just trying to make sure I don't slip up in front of the wrong person." He paused, watching Caroline closely until she responded with a tight nod. "So what is it?" he repeated his initial question.

"I just..." she trailed off, looking anywhere but at him.

"You just...what?" he prompted. "Care, what's going on?"

"I just wanted to make sure we're okay," she said tremulously, finally meeting his molten eyes with her own shining blue ones. "That breakup felt so, so real, and I just needed to see you."

"It was supposed to seem real," Tyler responded gently, taking her hand as she stepped closer to him. "It had to be believable for Klaus to buy it."

"I know," Caroline muttered, moving even closer to wrap her arms around his neck, laying her head against his broad chest. "I just hate it," she admitted. "I miss you already."

"I know, Care," Tyler assured her, pulling back to hold her at arms' length. "But it's important that we play this out, otherwise there's no way that Hayley and I will be able to help the other hybrids break their sire bonds."

Caroline nodded once in resignation, her shoulders sagging in defeat. She was about to pull him back towards her when his phone began vibrating in his pocket. He released her and pulled the device out quickly, checking the message on the screen. An odd smirk on his face caught Caroline's attention as his fingers flew across the keys before he slid the phone back into his pocket.

"Look, Care, I have to go. I shouldn't even be here," he said distractedly, looking around the room.

"Who was that?" Caroline asked, gesturing to his phone.

"What?" Tyler asked absently before shaking his head and launching into an explanation without waiting for an answer. "Oh, just my Mom. She's being all crazy about me getting home; she's so paranoid after everything that's happened around here lately."

"I guess I can't really blame her," Caroline agreed as Tyler turned from her and took the few steps back towards her open window. "Tyler?" she questioned, and he paused, turning to look at her, a quizzical look in his eyes. She closed the distance between them, flinging her arms around him as she crashed her lips into his.

He pulled back after only a moment, a slightly apologetic look in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Care, I really have to go."

He was out of the room before Caroline could even say goodnight, her delicate sheer curtains dancing softly in his wake. She dropped down onto the edge of her plush bed atop her pale yellow comforter, her fingers ghosting across her lips in confusion. There was something...off, about that kiss, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. He'd seemed rather un-Tyler-like most of the time he'd been there. Maybe it was because he was nervous about being caught in their masquerade?

She sat there a moment longer, deep in thought, when her brain suddenly focused on something he'd said about his mother wanting him to get home. '_I thought Mayor Lockwood was out of town this week…'_ her thoughts trailed off. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she stood up, grabbing her phone from her desk as she crossed to her window and climbed outside, taking a moment to find Tyler's scent before flashing after him.

It didn't take her long to catch up; he hadn't been gone long before she'd gone after him. She stopped just down the street from his house, looking up in time to see him walking up to his front door. He reached for his keys, just as the front door flew open to reveal Hayley. Caroline was momentarily surprised, but reminded herself that Hayley was his house guest, and a key part of their break up deception. She was about to call out to Tyler when the dark haired wolf-girl lunged forward into Tyler's arms, her lips meeting his passionately. Caroline's mouth dropped open, his name dying on her lips as she watched the scene unfolding in front of her. She recovered her wits long enough to dart behind a nearby tree, peering out cautiously from behind it, her supernatural hearing allowing her to listen in.

After a moment, Hayley pulled back and looked up at Tyler from beneath her dark lashes. "What took you so long?" she pouted.

"Caroline texted," Tyler explained as he reached up to gently tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I had to stop by there first to see what she needed."

Hayley sighed dramatically. "Ugh. She's so needy! Seriously, I wish we were still in the Appalachians! I miss having you all to myself."

Tyler chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. "You will again, soon enough."

"I miss you while you're out keeping up charades within charades," Hayley continued, batting her eyes as she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him through the front door, slamming it shut once he was beyond the threshold.

The sudden click of the lock startled Caroline out of her shock. Unable to tear herself away, she flashed forward, ducking behind another tree as Tyler and Hayley came into view, outlined by the big front bay windows.

Caroline's eyes began to water as she took in the all too familiar intensity in Tyler's eyes as he looked down at Hayley, seeming to be lost in her face as he pulled her firmly against his chest. Seeing the look once reserved only for her being bestowed on Hayley caused Caroline's heart to crack, fissuring along the edges. Her tears spilled over the precipice of her eyes, winding their way down her pale cheeks as Tyler's lips descended hungrily upon Hayley's. Within moments his shirt was off, flung carelessly on the lamp beside the pristine white sofa of the Lockwood parlor.

Caroline stopped breathing, not making a sound as she stood there watching, unable to tear herself away from the images searing themselves into her brain. Somehow, through the haze, all of the disconnects from the last few weeks suddenly made perfect sense – her initial suspicions about Hayley's presence, Tyler's behavior since she'd arrived in town. That off-feeling she had from his visit to her room earlier that night was now crystal clear.

Her hand covered her mouth, tears slipping even faster down her face as Tyler hooked his finger in the front of Hayley's delicate, crimson blouse, ripping it from her body as if it were nothing more than tissue paper. His hands slid down her sides to grasp the back of her thighs and he lifted her, her legs immediately locking around his waist as he shoved her back against the wall beside the window, their lips never breaking contact. Hayley pulled back slightly, a seductress' gleam in her eyes as she reached her left hand up to pull the silken cord behind her. The passionate, almost animalistic desire in Tyler's eyes as he looked at Hayley was the last thing Caroline saw as the velvet curtains billowed closed.

She stood there trembling, rooted in position behind the tree, unable to block the sounds she could still hear coming from behind the veil of the parlor curtains, the accompanying images appearing all too easily in her mind. She felt her world crashing down around her feet, the fissures in her heart widening as though jagged cracks were splintering through it, shattering it into a million tiny, excruciating pieces.

She lost track of time, uncertain of how long she had been standing, frozen there, when the sounds faded away up the stairs of the Lockwood mansion. Her hot tears cooled quickly on her face in the chilly night air. A cold breeze sent a shudder through her body, seeming to jolt her back to awareness. With trembling hands she slowly pulled her phone from her pocket, shakily typing a short message before pressing send.

_What have you done? Part of me knew, all this time. No more second guessing, this is how it ends._

She stood, staring at the phone in her hands as the screen went dark, the unmistakable feeling of a piece of her going dark with it. The show was done. Some part of her mind knew that she should leave, but she couldn't seem to move, felt like she was frozen to the spot, her brain and body unable to communicate.

An angry exclamation from inside the house caught her attention. She glanced towards the front door, eyes widening in fear as she heard Tyler's distinctive footsteps and furious voice echoing through the hall, his feet pounding down the first few stairs.

Caroline's fear finally bridged the gap between her brain and her body as she spun and ran as fast as she could down the road, away from the Lockwood mansion, intent on disappearing before Tyler could catch up to her.

She poured on the speed, running faster than she ever had, the houses and trees blurring to darkness around her. She paused for only a second to gain her bearings, knowing she was close to home, before taking off again. Moments later she collided with something solid, abruptly stopping her forward momentum. She panicked for a single instant, certain she'd run into a car in her haste, until she felt strong hands wrap around her upper arms, keeping her from bouncing backwards to the ground. She looked up, only to find herself staring into the deep azure eyes of the Original hybrid.

Klaus gazed down at her, his eyes quickly taking in her tear streaked face and disheveled appearance as she began to whimper and fight against his hold. It only seemed to make him more determined to hold on to her and his fingers tightened, biting slightly into her tender flesh.

"Let me go!" she commanded in a furious whisper, squirming as she tried to move past him.

"Caroline," he said softly, anchoring her in place despite her best efforts, her strength no match for his own. He peered down at her intently, concern etched across his features. "What's wrong, love?"

"Nothing. Please, Klaus, please let me go," she begged desperately, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks as she renewed her struggle to wrench herself from his grasp.

Klaus frowned as he absorbed her desperation, the fear and pain obvious in her eyes. He was about to question her further when he heard her name being called out from a distance.

"Caroline!"

She abruptly stopped fighting him, instead turning slightly to peer through the murky darkness behind her, trembling in the grip of his strong hands.

"Caroline, love, what's happened?" he asked urgently, barely resisting the urge to shake her. "What is it that you're running from?"

She turned back at the sound of his voice, looking straight into his chest.

"Caroline!" the voice - Tyler's, he thought - called again, closer this time.

She lifted her face to look up at him, her tear-filled, frightened eyes locking with his, and she was suddenly clinging to him instead of fighting against him, her hands fisting into the front of his charcoal Henley.

"Help me," she whispered, her voice breaking.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read! The second part will be posted within the week. Please take a minute to let me know what you think in the reviews. You can also find me on Twitter shadowfaxangel.


	2. This Is How It Ends

Author's Note:

I just wanted to say thank you all so very much for all of the follows, favorites and most especially the reviews. I was blown away by all the notifications that flooded my inbox (and that keep rolling in) It really means a lot to me that so many of you took the time to read my first attempt at writing Klaroline. I sincerely hope you enjoy the second installment of this two-shot.

* * *

"Help me," she whispered, her voice breaking.

Klaus gazed down at her for a moment, his eyes calculating and curious, before nodding once, his arms tightening slightly around the baby vampire clinging to him so desperately, as if she would climb right beneath his skin if she could. A sudden movement caught his attention, his eyes narrowing as he watched Tyler stop dead in the middle of the street a few yards away, his face a picture of shocked indignation.

"Caroline!" Tyler shouted furiously as he began to close the distance separating them, "What the hell?!"

A low growl escaped Klaus' throat as he pulled Caroline behind him, widening his stance as Tyler stopped a few feet away.

"Get away from her, Klaus!" Tyler threatened, his fists curled and flexing at his sides.

Klaus glowered menacingly at him, his voice deepening with the threat of violence. "You of all people ought to know better than to threaten me."

"This has nothing to do with you, Klaus," Tyler said adamantly, "This is between me and Caroline, it's none of your business."

"Well, you see it became my business when Caroline asked for my help, mate." Klaus' voice lilted almost playfully, practically teasing the young hybrid.

"You did _what_!?" Tyler practically screamed, his eyes flashing gold as his temper flared. He took a step to the side, trying to catch Caroline's eyes. "What the hell is your problem, Caroline?!"

"What is _my_ problem?" Caroline asked incredulously, stepping slightly out from behind Klaus to face Tyler, her anger finally breaking through the last vestiges of her fearful haze. "You!" she shrieked, "_You_ are my problem, Tyler. I _trusted_ you! I played along with your _stupid_ charade because I _loved_ you! I thought you were worth it! But you were lying to me the entire time!"

"Clearly I wasn't the only one!" Tyler accused with a snarl. "How long have you been whoring it up with Klaus?"

Tyler's head whipped to the side as Caroline's palm connected sharply with his cheek, the sound echoing in the night air, before Klaus even had time to blink; Tyler hadn't even seen her move.

"How _dare_ you! You must be mistaking me for _you_" she seethed harshly, an icy glare on her face.

"Why you-" Tyler snarled, moving angrily towards her before Klaus' firm hand pressed against his chest directly over his heart stopped him in his tracks. "Get out of my way," Tyler raged, turning his glare onto Klaus.

"Now, see, here's the thing, mate," Klaus began almost conversationally. "I may not know the exact details of what has sent the lovely Caroline running through the streets in the middle of the night, but if your foul stench of sex, sweat and perfume that is _not_ Caroline's is any indication, I'd wager you have a pathetic wolf-bitch waiting in your bed." Klaus' gaze darkened and his voice turned deadly serious. "You'd best be on your way before I decide that Caroline's request for help requires violence on my part."

A silent battle of wills passed between the two hybrids, the Original and his first-sired, each glaring hatefully at the other.

"This isn't over," Tyler finally threatened, glaring at Caroline before ripping himself backwards and speeding off into the night.

Klaus watched after him a moment before relaxing his stance and turning to Caroline, who was standing motionless beside him, her face blank as she stared into the darkness.

"Caroline, love," he began before being interrupted by a choking sound tearing its way out of Caroline's throat. He reached uncertainly towards her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Sweetheart?" he questioned softly, watching as her face crumpled, like a paper lantern thrown into flames. Her small frame shuddered as tears began rolling down her pale cheeks, and she sunk slowly to the ground, unable to remain upright as she began to sob uncontrollably, barely able to breathe through the tears clogging her throat. After looking at her for a moment, unsure of quite what to do, Klaus crouched down beside her on the cool blacktop, reaching out to slip his arm tentatively around her shoulder. She turned slightly and practically melted into him, her arms winding tightly around his waist, her fingers clawing desperately at the back of his shirt as she fell to pieces. Klaus wrapped his other arm around her as she trembled, sinking fully to sit on the pavement himself, trying to hold her together as her sobs threatened to rip her apart.

He lost track of how long they sat there like that, the most powerful creature in the world and a strong yet fragile girl, sprawled on the ground in the middle of the deserted street under the dim light of the waning moon. He had never really held someone as they'd cried, and he wasn't quite certain what he was supposed to do after her sobbing and shuddering had slowly subsided into quiet, steady breathing. Her face was still pressed against his chest, the fabric of his dark Henley soaked with her desperate tears.

Klaus held her in silence, the sound of her breathing slowly calming his fury at the insolent hybrid boy for driving her to her current state. "Do you want to talk about it, love?" he asked gently when he was once again in full control of his anger.

Caroline was silent for a few minutes before he finally heard her whispered reply, "He cheated on me."

Klaus winced at the pain that laced her voice, even in her whisper. "Not that I want to defend the bloody bastard, but I was under the impression that you two had broken up because you knew he cheated on you with the wolf-girl."

He could feel Caroline stiffen in his arms as she replied so softly that even his enhanced hearing almost missed it. "That was his plan."

Klaus fought to control the surge of emotions her words caused, speaking very carefully to keep his voice steady. "I don't understand, sweetheart."

Caroline took a deep breath, sending up a silent prayer that Klaus wouldn't kill her on the spot. "That's what I thought at first, but then Tyler told me he let you think that because it kept you distracted from what he was really doing. So Hayley texted me while you were at his house, and we staged the breakup scene. It wasn't supposed to be real…it was just an act, a charade. It was stupid and I should have realized, some part of me knew he was no longer mine, that he was just using me. It was so much easier to bury it deep down so I didn't have to face it."

Caroline paused, waiting for Klaus to ask the inevitable follow up question about Tyler's true intentions. When he remained silent, she sat back, looking at him curiously. "Aren't you going to ask me what he's really doing?"

Klaus shrugged. "If you want to tell me, by all means, go ahead. I'm sure I'll figure it out otherwise, but that isn't really what's important right now."

"Really?" Caroline couldn't help but ask incredulously.

"Truly," Klaus assured her solemnly, waiting for her to continue.

Caroline sighed as she recalled the next part of her sad tale. "I texted him earlier tonight, because the breakup scene seemed so real, I just really needed to see him, you know? He came right away, but he was off, somehow. I wasn't satisfied with how he left, so I followed him, just to talk more," Caroline paused, taking a deep breath, her gaze wavering and dropping to her hands as she twisted them in her lap, trying to gather the courage to continue. "I got there right as Hayley flung herself at him and started kissing him, practically bragging that they were lying to me," she paused again, shaking her head slightly as her eyes filled with tears again, her voice wavering as she continued. "It's seared into my mind, and when I close my eyes, all I can see is the way he looked at her, the way he touched her. It was like I was frozen in place, even after she pulled the curtains closed, I felt so numb, like my entire world was crashing down around my feet, and I couldn't even move." She stopped yet again, unable to get her words out around her renewed sobs. Klaus pulled her back against his chest, gently stroking her hair. After a few minutes she regained control of her tears, but didn't pull away again, keeping her head against his chest, her fingers tracing patterns on the soft fabric of his shirt. "I sent him a text, I don't even really know what it said, I could barely even think. I heard him read it, he sounded so angry and I could hear him heading towards the door, so I ran…until you stopped me."

His hand paused against her hair as he was trying to formulate words when her voice again penetrated the quiet. "I'm sorry," she whispered into his chest, her voice soft and almost raspy from crying.

The despair in her voice pulled at his undead heart. "Whatever for, sweetheart?" he asked, puzzled as to why she would be apologizing to him. He'd thought that was supposed to be _his_ line in this scenario as the empathetic listener. She pulled back to look at him, and he immediately missed her weight against his chest.

"For trying to distract you...again. And for dragging you into the middle of my pathetic relationship drama. I'm sorry for wasting your time, I'm sure you have better places to be," she muttered dejectedly, dropping her eyes back to the ground, her entire body sagging in defeat.

"Caroline," Klaus said earnestly, waiting to catch her eye. When she didn't respond, he reached out and put his finger beneath her chin, gently lifting her head until her eyes met his. "There is nothing pathetic about you, love. You are the most genuine, beautiful person I know," he assured her, willing her to see the sincerity in his eyes.

"You do have an unfortunate habit of allowing your friends to use you at times, though I have a feeling you're about to break that habit," he teased gently, eliciting a tiny, if sad, smile from her. He held her gaze another moment before continuing, his voice ever so soft, "And for the record, there's no place in the world I'd rather be right now."

Caroline's eyes filled with tears again, and Klaus frowned, uncertain as to what he'd said that would have made her start crying again.

"You'd be the only person in the world to think so," Caroline muttered under her breath, tears sliding down her already wet cheeks. "Besides, it's not true. Never has been, never will be. I will forever be second choice."

Klaus felt anger surge through him at the utter dejection and hopelessness he felt emanating from this beautiful creature in front of him. How dare anyone make her feel unwanted or second best! "Well then everyone other person is gravely mistaken. And anyone who chooses you second is a brainless fool."

Caroline looked up at him with a tiny smile that melted his anger away because he could see a glimpse of the light in her eyes, as subtle as it was. He reached out, tenderly brushing her tears away with the pads of his thumbs, his right hand lingering against her cheek for a moment longer, lightly caressing it as she leaned into his touch, her eyes slipping closed, a yawn escaping her lips, causing him to smile.

"Come, love," he whispered, reaching forward and gathering her into his arms before standing. "Let's get you home."

* * *

A/N – I hope you enjoyed the final installment of this two shot. Admittedly, this may grow into something more, there is definitely room to continue (thanks in no small part to Tyler going a bit off-script with that parting threat) I've been working on ideas for where I want to take a continued plot if I decide to continue it.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear what you think, so please leave me a review here or catch me over on Twitter shadowfaxangel


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